heard Mother read a story, and it said the
moon makes the tides."

"Does it, Daddy?" persisted Violet. She certainly had her questioning
cap on that evening.

"Yes, the moon causes the tides," said Daddy Bunker. "But just how, it
is a bit hard to tell to such little children. The moon pulls on the
water in the oceans, just as a magnet pulls on a piece of iron or steel.
When the moon is on one side of the earth it pulls the water into a sort
of bunch, or hill, there, and that makes it lower in the opposite part
of the earth. That is low tide. Then, as the moon changes, it pulls the
water up in the place where it was low before, and that makes high tide.
And when the tide is high in our ocean here it pushes a lot of water up
Clam River. And when the water is low in our ocean here the water runs
out of Clam River. That is what makes high tide and low tide here."

"Oh," said Violet, though I am not sure she understood all about it.

But after that Margy and Mun Bun were careful about getting into the
boat, even when they felt sure it was tightly tied to the pier. They
always waited until some older folks were with them, and this was the
best way.

The happy days passed at Cousin Tom's. The six little Bunkers played on
the beach, and, now and then, they looked and dug holes to try to find
Rose's locket.

"I guess it's gone forever," said the little girl as the days passed and
no locket appeared. And she never even dreamed of the strange way good
luck was to come to her once more.

One warm day, when all the children were playing down on the sandy shore
of the inlet, Violet came running back to the house.

"Mother, make Russ stop!" she cried.

"What is he doing?" asked Mrs. Bunker.

"He's taking my doll. He's going to take her out on the ocean in a boat.
Make him stop."

"Oh, Russ mustn't do that!" exclaimed Mrs. Bunker. "Of course I'll make
him stop!"

She went down to the beach with Violet, and, just as they came within
sight of the group of children, they heard Rose say:

"Oh, Russ! Now you've done it! You have drowned Vi's doll!"

CHAPTER XV

THE BOX ON THE BEACH

"Dear me!" exclaimed the children's mother, as she hurried along beside
Violet to help settle whatever trouble Russ had caused.

"Oh! did you hear what Rose said?" asked Vi. "Did you hear?"

"Yes, my dear, I did."

"Oh, my lovely doll is drowned!" cried the little girl, and there were
real tears in her eyes, and some even ran dow